Suit Up, Girls! Our Daisy Uniform

Girl Scouts wear uniforms to display the petals, patches, and pins they have worked so hard to earn.  The uniform also unifies the girls by giving them a sense of being part of a team.  Over the years, troop leaders have devised creative uniforms for their troops.  An official Daisy Vest or Tunic and Petals Set is offered by Council shops.  PLEASE check out GSUSA's uniform policy.  I came up with a less expensive and very cute alternative to the official Daisy uniform.

Hobby Lobby sells a royal blue canvas child-sized apron.  Occasionally the aprons can be found on sale.  Otherwise I search the store website for 40% off coupons to use.  I purchased aprons for the girls for less than $2 each.  

I also used a coupon to purchase white puffy paint.  I wrote our troop number in the upper right-hand corner which is where it is placed on an official Daisy vest.  Please note that our troop number was purposely concealed in these photos.  I used the paint to write each girl's name along the edge of the backside of each apron.  I was responsible for adding each petal to the aprons as the girls earned them, so I chose to keep the aprons between meetings.

I decided to make felt petals.  I was able to purchase the different colors of felt from Hobby Lobby for $0.25 each.  I used an image of the petals from the Guide for Daisy Girl Scouts to make a template.  The Daisy Center on the apron above is 1.25" in diameter while the petals are each 1.5" x .75".  Each petal needed an adhesive backing to enable it to be ironed onto the apron.  I used Wonder-Under to accomplish this effect.  This product is available at most craft stores.  For perspective, I bought 5/8 of a yard for $1.24 (this was MORE than enough).  The Financial Literacy leaf and the Cookie Business leaf that are placed below the Daisy Petals Set will be described in a future post. 

DIY Petals
1.  Preheat iron to Cotton setting.
2.  Cut felt rectangle to desired size.
3.  Cut Wonder-Under the same size as felt.
4.  Place rough side of Wonder-Under against felt.
5.  Press for 5-8 seconds with a hot, dry iron.
6.  Let cool.
7.  Trace petal shape onto paper backing.  
8.  Cut.

Iron-On Petals
1.  Preheat iron to Wool setting.
2.  Remove Wonder-Under paper backing from felt petal.
3.  Position petal and cover with damp washcloth.
4.  Press for 10-15 seconds.
 *Petal should be securely adhered to the apron.  If the petal begins to peel away after time, simply repeat these steps.   

I would really enjoy hearing how your girls display their recognitions.  Please share!